(Roxbury, New Jersey) – The State of New Jersey has made an advancement to sue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to stop ICE’s plans to convert a warehouse, which they already purchased, into a holding facility for illegal immigrants.
The lawsuit said the facility would cause a financial strain on the area and endanger the state’s water supply. Earlier this year, hundreds of residents in Roxbury and surrounding towns like Jefferson Township and Denville came together to protest the plan before ICE officially purchased the property.
ICE previously said it would convert the warehouse to “very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.” The agency claimed the town would benefit from 1,300 construction jobs and “more than $39.2 million in tax revenue.”
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker also commented on this situation last month before this advancement.
ICE reportedly closed a deal worth tens of millions of dollars to warehouse human beings in Roxbury, New Jersey. It betrays everything this community stands for and then hands them the bill.
I’ve toured the site. I’ve met with local leaders and residents. And the opposition is… pic.twitter.com/2qtglC84PN
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 20, 2026
New Jersey Governor, Mikie Sherrill is leading the suit alongside NJ State Attorney General, Jennifer Davenport announcing the lawsuit Friday morning.
“The safety and well-being of New Jerseyans will always be my top priority, and the Trump Administration’s plans for a detention facility in Roxbury will not make our residents safer. Instead, this facility will overburden local services and infrastructure,” Sherrill said in a statement.
“Federal laws require—and our State and towns deserve—that DHS and ICE consult with the State and the Township on major projects in their backyard. Instead, DHS and ICE are ramming through a secretive purchase and rushed renovation,” Davenport said.
